If you’re a vegetarian, you know the drill: when you meet someone new, they’re likely to have questions about your diet. Vegetarianism is becoming much more common than it used to be, but many people still don’t understand how or why anyone would cut meat out of their diet–and they like to let us know! Here’s the 10 questions vegetarians are tired of hearing…and how we would really like to answer them
1. “Is it okay if I order meat in front of you?”
Not to speak for all vegetarians, but I think most of us will probably survive while we watch you eat your cheeseburger.
2. “Don’t you know what you’re missing out on?”
Actually, I do: I remember from before I gave it up.
3. “So do you just like…eat salads all the time?”
Yes. Salads are, in fact, the only type of food that don’t contain meat.
4. “But if you don’t eat meat, what DO you eat?”
**sigh**
5. “Wait, so can you drink milk?”
Some confusion between veganism and vegetarianism is understandable, but I think that most vegetarians would agree that explaining what counts as animal flesh and what doesn’t gets a little old after a while.
6. “So how on earth do you get your protein?”
Nuts, soy, eggs, beans, to name a few…although this was probably more of a rhetorical question than any actual concern about my dietary needs.
7. “How do you go out to eat?”
I walk into the restaurant, get seated at a table, look at the menu, and choose a dish that doesn’t have meat in it. Viola!
8. “Are you going to make me feel bad about eating ___?”
I wasn’t planning on it…but maybe now I will.
9. “So why don’t you just go vegan?”
There’s no such thing as “just going vegan.” It’s a major lifestyle change and can be a lot of work. Thanks for making me feel like I’m not doing enough, though!
10. “You just wish you could have a bite of this, don’t you?”
If I wanted to have a bite of that, I could–but I have chosen not to. Now, please get your bacon strip out of my face.